Marlene FLEWITT

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FLEWITT: There is a smile and a positive, fun loving personality missing from the community of Minto and a large circle of friends. On July 18 Ina Marlene Flewitt (nee Gladstone) celebrated the 70th birthday she had been so looking forward to and passed away peacefully with her family holding her hands later that same day. She was born the middle of three sisters to Ab and Vernie Gladstone in Boissevain. Her younger years were spent camping, visiting cousins on a farm digging potatoes, and skating on sloughs in the winter. She was the boy in the family and always went to hockey games with her Dad. Marlene learned baton – going to the Peace Garden music camp for instruction and later teaching in Boissevain and Cartwright. She would take the bus to Cartwright and back the same day – smoking a pack of cigarettes so her parents wouldn’t know (you could smoke on the bus in those days)! Marlene led the 4-H parade in 1962 and she met the love of her life over an orange crush drink and she and Lynn became lifelong friends and buddies. After school she followed Lynn to Fort St. John and worked for Niagara Finance as a payroll clerk. When they returned home the following year she continued in the same role with the Highways Dept. in Boissevain and Brandon. Marlene and Lynn were married on July 2nd 1966 and after an extended honeymoon Jeff was born in 1970 and Dana in 1974 and life got busy. By that time there was an established fertilizer and farm business and she looked after meals for 8-10 men, did books, and canned 100 quarts of beans every year! They bought a lot at Pelican Lake and she enjoyed the water sports with the kids and the camping environment that she had grown up with. In the late 80’s and 90’s she was the Activity Director at Westview Lodge in Boissevain and those were very rewarding years for her. The resident’s well-being and social activities were the first priority on her agenda. Activities like taking the residents to the farm for harvest where the ladies made buns and the men rode in the grain truck to taking the entire lodge to Camp Koinonia for an afternoon. She had many fond and rewarding memories of her time there and she was the best damn Activity Director they ever had (in our opinion)! Marlene and Lynn moved into Minto in 2000 and more time was spent travelling to both destinations as well as to see grandkids. She loved playing street hockey with the boys in Winnipeg and doing crafts with the “little kids” in Lethbridge. She loved them all dearly and enjoyed her time so much with them. Travelling was an important part of her life with Lynn and they were lucky enough to see a lot of places together. They did ski trips with Jeff and Dana through the school years, scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef, climbed Mayan ruins in Belize and Guatemala, boogie boarded in the Dominican Republic, and went on Caribbean cruises. She also accompanied Dana to Austrailia in 2010 for a wedding which was a special trip for her. She and Lynn spent several winters in Florida as well. Last year was a special travel year for the two of them. They took the old car and camper 5 weeks west to Victoria and then 5 weeks east to Niagara Falls and Ottawa. It was then on to Hawaii for two weeks in November and Florida again in January. Niagara Falls and Hawaii were on Marlene’s “Bucket List” and she got to check them off! She valued the community of Minto and gave freely of her time. She curled, made skating costumes, served on the rink and hall committees, organized lunches when the new hall was being built and did 4-H, sports, and school trips with the kids. In 2010 she decided that Minto should not be left out of the provincial “homecoming” celebrations and organized a very successful event.Marlene was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis in 2000 and at that time was given 3-5 years to live. She beat the odds through her determination, positive attitude and playful disposition. She always had a smile and refused to dwell on herself or the disease. A friend had a quote “She was dealt a lemon with this disease but she squeezed the juice and all of the pulp out of it”. She lived it to the fullest! Marlene will continue to be cherished by husband Lynn, children and grandchildren Jeff Leanne Jackson and Caleb, Dana Francois Kenya and Luca, sisters Eva (Murray) Hole, Donna Harper (Mark Morgan), sister-in-law Betty Oakden, brothers-in-law Scott Flewitt, Ed (Jenny) Flewitt, numerous nieces and nephews as well as many, many friends. “You make a living by what you get but you make a life by what you give” and Marlene gave it all – to community, friends, children, grandchildren, and husband. We will cherish the memories of her and her smile so much. Donations may be made in memory of Marlene to the Minto and Area Community Fund, P.O. Box 53, Minto MB, R0K 1M0. Arrangements with Wheatland Funeral Service, Killarney MB. 204-523 7791.

As published in Brandon Sun on Aug 16, 2014